Prime Minister's Office
English rendering of PM's address at inaugural session of All India Conference of Law Ministers and Secretaries
Present in this important conference Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju ji, Minister of State S.P. Singh Baghel ji, Law Ministers and Secretaries of all the states, other dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen!
This important meeting of law ministers and secretaries of all the states of the country is taking place amidst the grandeur of the Statue of Unity. At a time when the country is celebrating the Amrit Mahotsav of freedom, Sardar Patel's inspiration for public interest will not only take us in the right direction but will also help meet our goals.
Friends,
In every society, the judicial system, various procedures and traditions have been developing as per the needs of the time. Reliable and speedy justice system is very necessary for a healthy society, for a confident society, and for the development of the country. The faith of the countrymen in the constitutional institutions is strengthened when justice is seen being served. The confidence of the common man of the country grows equally when he gets justice. Therefore, such events are very important to continuously improve the law and order of the country.
Friends,
The development journey of Indian society spans thousands of years. In spite of all the challenges, Indian society has made steady progress and has maintained continuity. The insistence on morality and cultural traditions is very rich in our society. The biggest feature of our society is that it also keeps on improving itself internally while moving on the path of progress. Our society removes the laws and customs that become irrelevant. Otherwise, we have also seen that any tradition, when it becomes customary, becomes a burden and society gets buried under this burden. Therefore, continuous improvement is an indispensable requirement in every system. You must have often heard me saying that the people of the country should not feel the absence of government and they should not feel the pressure of the government as well. Unnecessary laws result in undue pressure of the government. We laid special emphasis to ease this government pressure on the citizens of India in the last eight years. As you are aware, the country has repealed more than 1,500 old and irrelevant laws. Many of these laws existed since the period of slavery. More than 32,000 compliances have also been done away with to remove legal hurdles in the way of innovation and ease of living. These changes are not only for the convenience of the public, but are also very necessary according to the times. We are aware that many archaic laws since the period of slavery are still in force in the states. It is necessary to abolish the laws which are continuing since the time of slavery and make new laws according to the present time in this ‘Amrit Kaal’ of Independence. I urge you to deliberate the ways for the abolition of such laws in this conference. Apart from this, reviewing the existing laws of the states will also be very helpful. Ease of Living and Ease of Justice should also be the focus of this review.
Friends,
Delay in justice is one of the biggest challenges faced by the citizens of India. Our judiciary is working very seriously in this direction. Now we have to solve this problem together in this ‘Amrit Kaal’. Among many options is alternative dispute resolution which can be promoted at the state government level. Such a mechanism has been prevalent in the villages of India for a long time. They may be having their own ways and arrangements, but the approach is the same. We have to understand this system at the local level in the states and ensure how we can make it a part of the legal system. I remember we started Evening Courts when I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The first Evening Court in the country was started in Gujarat. Most of the cases in the Evening Courts were less serious in nature. People also used to complete the judicial process by coming to these courts after completing their work. This not only saved their time, but the cases were heard speedily. More than nine lakh cases have been settled in Gujarat in the last few years due to Evening Courts. We have seen that Lok Adalats have emerged as another means of speedy justice in the country. Many states have done remarkably well in this regard. Lakhs of cases have been settled in the country over the last few years through Lok Adalats. These have also reduced the burden of the courts and ensured easy justice to the poor, especially the people living in the villages.
Friends,
Most of you also have the responsibility of the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry. That is, all of you also go through the process of law making very closely. No matter how good the motive may be, but if there is confusion in the law itself and there is a lack of clarity, then the common citizens have to bear the brunt of it in the future. Such is the complex language of the law that ordinary citizens have to spend a lot of money and run here and there to get justice. Therefore, when the law is comprehensible to the common man, it has its desired effect. Therefore, when a law is made in the Parliament or Legislative Assembly in some countries, they do two things simultaneously. One is to explain in detail the technical words used in the definition of law and the other is to interpret the law in a simple language which can easily be understood by the common man while retaining the spirit of the original law. Therefore, while making laws, it should be our focus that even the poorest of the poor can understand the new legislation properly. There is also such a provision in some countries that it is decided during the making of the law that how long it will remain in effect. That is, the expiry of the law is fixed well before it is formulated. It is decided whether the concerned law is for five or ten years. That law is reviewed again in the wake of the new circumstances when it nears the deadline. We have to move forward with the same spirit in India too.
Local language has an important role in the legal system for ease of justice. I have often raised this issue with our judiciary also. The country is also making several important efforts in this direction. Every state should also work in this direction so that language of law does not become a barrier for any citizen. In this regard, we also need to create an academic ecosystem in the mother tongue for the youth along with the logistics and infrastructure support. We will have to ensure that law courses are in mother tongue, laws are written in simple language and there is a digital library of important cases of High Courts and Supreme Court in local language. This will also increase the awareness of law in the common man and will also relieve him of the fear of heavy legal words.
Friends,
When the judicial system expands along with the society and there is a natural tendency to adopt modernity, then the changes that take place in the society are also visible in the justice system. We have seen during the Corona period how technology has become an integral part of the judicial system today. Today the e-Courts Mission is progressing rapidly in the country. Systems like 'Virtual Hearing' and ‘Virtual ‘Appearance’ are now becoming a part of our legal system. Apart from this, e-filing of cases is also being promoted. With the introduction of 5G services in the country, these systems will gain momentum and huge changes which are inherent in it are bound to happen. Therefore, every state will have to update and upgrade its systems keeping this in mind. It should also be our important goal to prepare our legal education in sync with technology.
Friends,
Sensitive justice system is an essential condition for a sound nation and a harmonious society. Therefore, I raised the issue of undertrials in the joint meeting of the Chief Justices of the High Courts. I urge all of you to do whatever can be done by the state governments for speedy trial of cases. State governments should also work with a humane approach regarding undertrial prisoners, so that our judicial system moves forward with a human ideal.
Friends,
The Constitution is supreme for the judicial system of our country. The judiciary, the legislature and the executive have been born out of this Constitution. Be it government, parliament and our courts, these three are in a way the children of the same mother in the form of the Constitution. If we look at the spirit of the Constitution, there is no room for debate and competition with each other even though the functions of all the three organs differ. Like the children of a mother, all the three organs have to serve Maa Bharati and have to take India to new heights in the 21st century. I hope that the churning in this conference will definitely bring out the elixir of legal reforms for the country. I request all of you that you must take out time to see the Statue of Unity and the expansion and development that have taken place in its entire campus. The country is now ready to move forward rapidly. You should perfectly fulfill whatever responsibility you have. This is my best wish for you. Thanks a lot.
DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.